Latches



B. PENNINGS I 3,360,969

Jan. 2, 1968 LATCHES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 11, 1966 Fig.4.

Filed July 11, 1966 Jan. 2, 1968 B. PENNINGS 3,360,969

LATCHES 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,360,969 LATCHES Bernard Pennings and David B. Legge, Stalford, England, asslgnors to J. Legge & Company Limited, Willenhall, England, a British company Filed July 11, 1966, Ser. No. 564,100 Claims priority, application Great Britain, July 14, 1965,

4 Claims. (Cl. 70-146) the lath.

i It is a further object of the present invention to provide alatch of the kind specified, particularly for attachment to the door of a caravan, which includes means whereby the door can be locked from the outside, means whereby the door can be locked from the inside and means whereby the door can be opened from the inside regardless of whether or not the door has been locked from the outside.

The invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings showing a latch for use on caravan doors and in which:

1 F IIIGURE 1 is a part-fragmentary sectional view of the atc FIGURE 2 is a plan view of the latch housing,

1 EIGURE 3 is a sectional view of the latch housing and at i I FIGURE 4 is a further sectional view of and lath,

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view of the handle assembly of the latch, and

FIGURE 6 is a plan view of the handle.

The latch shown in the drawings includes a spring loaded lath 10 having a nose 11 of conventional form for engagement with a keeper (not shown) on the door frame. Means are provided on the outside of the door for retracting the lath '10, means are also provided on the inside of the door for retracting the lath 10 and separate means are provided on the inside of the door for preventing retraction of the lath 10.

The means for retracting the lath 10 from the outside of the door comprises a plunger 12. having a button 13 at its free end and the plunger 12 abuts a bearing surface 14 provided on a first link 15 pivoted at :16 to the latch housing 17. The latch housing 17 is disposed on the inside of the door and includes a channel-section body portion 18 and a plate 19 fixed to the ends of the arms of the channel. The first link 15 carrying the bearing surface 14 is of a U-shape and is fixed to the outside of the housing 17 by means of a pivot pin passing through the channelsection portion thereof. This link 15 is also pivotally connected at the end thereof carrying the surface 14 to one end of a second link 20 which is pivoted at its other end 21 to the lath 10.

' The plunger 12 is arranged for movement in a direction at right angles to the direction of movement of the lath 10 and in the normal condition of the latch in which the nose 11 is in its extended position (as shown in FIG. 1), the two links 15 and 20 are inclined at an angle of approximately 90 to each other. When the plunger 12 is moved inwardly by manually pressing the push button 13 the link system is extended to a position in which the two links 15 and 20 are inclined at an angle of approximately 120 to each other. This movement retracts the nose 11 to the housing a position in which it does not project from the housing 17 and is thus out of engagement with the keeper. The arrangement of the link system is such that the extent of movement of the lath 10 is approximately one and a half times the extent of movement of the plunger 12.

The plunger 12 carries a collar 21a which is arranged to abut against the surrounds 242 of an apperture through which the plunger 12 passes to limit outward movement of the plunger. The aperture is formed in a handle assembly 23 which is disposed on the outside of the door and includes a gripping portion 24 formed as a one-piece plastic moulding contained Within a plastics dish 25 fitted in a well 26 on the outside of the door. The handle assembly also includes a key operated cylinder lock 27 having a bolt 28 which is movable along a guideway 29 formed in the handle assembly 23, on operation of the lock, into a position in which the bolt 28 is in the path of movement of the collar 21a on the plunger. When the lock 27 is operated the plunger 12 is thus prevented from inward movement by virtue of engagement of the collar 21a on the plunger 12 with the bolt 28 of the lock. Therefore, on operating the lock, retraction of the lath 10 from the outside of the door is prevented.

The latch lath 10- is formed as a metal pressing and the end of the lath remote from the nose 1111 is secured to an end cap 30. The link 20 connected to the lath 10 is conveniently secured to this end cap 30. The end cap 30 is formed as a continuation of the housing and its contour is such as.to facilitate gripping'thereof. In this way the lath 10 can be retracted from the inside of the door independently of the plunger operated means by grasping the end cap 30 and moving it away from the adjacent part of the door frame against the action of the spring loading which normally urges the lath nose 11 to its extended position. It is to be noted that the door can be opened from the inside regardless of whether or not the lock 27 has been operated. The spring loading is afforded by means of a helical spring 31 arranged to operate between an abutment or projection 32 on the forward end of the lath, i.e. that adjacent the nose 11 and an inwardly directed projection 33 forming part of the housing. This inwardly directed projection 33 is constituted by a pressed out flap disposed adjacent the pivotal connection 16 of the link 15 to the latch housing 17.

The latch 10 is conveniently of channel section for the major portion of its length (see FIGURES 3 and 4) and intermediate the ends thereof is formed with a projection 34 directed towards the outside of the door.

Retraction of the latch may be prevented by means of a snib 35 disposed on the inside of the door and arranged to pass through aligned apertures 36 in the housing which apertures 36 are formed at the end of the housing adjacent the end cap 30. (For convenience the snib has not been shown in FIGURE 1). The snib 35 is arranged for movement in a direction normal to the directions of movement of both the lath 10 and the plunger 12 between a release position (as shown in FIGURE 4) in which retract-ion of the lath 10 is permitted and a locking position in which retraction of the lath 10 is prevented as a result of an abutment 37 on the snib moving into the path of movement of the projection 34 on the lath 10. The travel of the snib 35 is limited by engagement of a projection 38 on the snib with abutments 39 on the latch housing 17. The snib 35 is non-positively retained in its re lease and its locking positions by virtue of a spring clip 40 of generally hairpin-shape. One 41 of the arms of the clip 40 is formed with a formation 42 which is arranged to co-operate with a pair of corresponding formations 43 and 44 on the adjacent surface of the snib 35 to retain the snib 35 in each of its positions. The other arm 45 of the spring clip 40 rests against the front plate 19 of the latch housing 17.

The handle assembly 23, the well 26 and the front plate 19 of the latch housing 17 are formed with apertures 46, 47 which are arranged to be in alignment when the latch is fitted to the door. The apertures 47 in the handle assembly are constituted by tapped inserts and this arrangement enables the same fastening members to be employed for securing the latch housing 17 in position as secure the handle assembly 23 in position. In this Way concealment of the fastening members is facilitated.

The dish 25 fitted in the well 26 of the outside of the door and the handle assembly 23 and the push button 13 at the end of the plunger 12 are all moulded of nylon or some similar thermo-plastics material to provide resistance to corrosion.

As can be seen the present invention provides a latch in which retraction of the lath 10 from the outside of the door is effected by movement of a plunger 12 in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of the lath 10 and this plunger 12 abuts a bearing surface 14 carried by a link 15 pivoted to the latch housing, which link 15 is pivoted to a further link 20 pivoted to the lath 10. The invention also provides a latch in which retraction of the lath 10 from the outside of the door is obtained by moving a plunger 12 in a direction normal to the direction of movement of the lath 10, retraction of the lath 10 from the inside of the door is obtained by moving an operating member 30 in the direction of movement of the lath 10 and retraction of the lath 10 can be prevented by means of a snib 35 which is movable in a direction normal both to the direction of movement of the lath l and to the direction of movement of the plunger 12.

The latch forming the subject of the present invention though primarily designed for use on doors of caravans is not limited thereto.

What we then claim is:

1. A latch for a door, the latch including a housing for attachment to the inner face of the door, a latch lath contained within said housing, said lath having a nose, spring means acting on said lath to urge it into a position in which the nose projects from the housing whereby it may engage a keeper, means for effecting retraction of the lath comprising a plunger accessible from the outside of the door and movable manually in a direction transverse to the direction of movement of the lath, a first link pivoted to the housing, a second link pivoted to the lath and to said first link and a bearing surface on one of said links, an end of said plunger being arranged to abut said bearing surface whereby manual movement of the plunger towards the lath serves to extend the link system thereby retracting the lath against the action of the spring means, key operated means operable from the outside of the door for preventing movement of the plunger, snib means operable from the inside of the door for preventing movement of the lath and projecting gripping means on the lath accessible from the inside of the door for moving the lath independently of movement of the plunger.

2. A latch according to claim 1 in which the bearing surface is provided on the first link and the plunger is arranged for movement in a direction normal to the direction of movement of the lath.

3. A latch according to claim 1 in which the link system is so arranged that the extent of retraction of the lath, for a given movement of the plunger, is greater than the extent of movement of the plunger.

4. A latch according to claim 1 in which the housing includes a separate end cap at the end thereof remote from the nose, the end cap being secured to the lath and serving as an operating handle for effecting retraction of the lath.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 644,255 2/1900 Meyer 292168 2,862,749 12/1958 Burkard.

FOREIGN PATENTS 524,590 8/ 1940 Great Britain.

MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

JOHN R. MOSS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A LATCH FOR A DOOR, THE LATCH INCLUDING A HOUSING FOR ATTACHMENT TO THE INNER FACE OF THE DOOR, A LATCH LATH CONTAINED WITHIN SAID HOUSING, SAID LATH HAVING A NOSE, SPRING MEANS ACTING ON SAID LATH TO URGE IT INTO A POSITION IN WHICH THE NOSE PROJECTS FROM THE HOUSING WHEREBY IT MAY ENGAGE A KEEPER, MEANS FOR EFFECTING RETRACTION OF THE LATH COMPRISING A PLUNGER ACCESSIBLE FROM THE OUTSIDE OF THE DOOR AND MOVABLE MANUALLY IN A DIRECTION TRANSVERSE TO THE DIRECTION OF MOVEMENT OF THE LATH, A FIRST LINK PIVOTED TO THE HOUSING, A SECOND LINK PIVOTED TO THE LATH AND TO SAID FIRST LINK AND A BEARING SURFACE ON ONE OF SAID LINKS, AN END OF SAID PLUNGER BEING ARRANGED TO ABUT SAID BEARING SURFACE WHEREBY MANUAL MOVEMENT OF THE PLUNGER TOWARDS THE LATH SERVES TO EXTEND THE LINK SYSTEM THEREBY RETRACTING THE LATH AGAINST THE ACTION OF THE SPRING MEANS, KEY OPERATED MEANS OPERABLE FROM THE OUTSIDE OF THE DOOR FOR PREVENTING MOVEMENT OF THE PLUNGER, SNIB MEANS OPERABLE FROM THE INSIDE OF THE DOOR FOR PREVENTING MOVEMENT OF THE LATH AND PROJECTING GRIPPING MEANS ON THE LATH ACCESSIBLE FROM THE INSIDE OF THE DOOR FOR MOVING THE LATH INDEPENDENTLY OF MOVEMENT OF THE PLUNGER. 